Trolley-support for electric railways



(No Model.)

S. H. SHORT. TROLLEY SUPPORT FOR ELEGTRIG BAILWAYS.

No. 569,772. Patented 0011.20, 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT SIDNEY ll. SHORT, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

TROLLEY-SUPPORT FOR ELECTRIC RAlLWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters latent No. 569,772, dated October20, 1896.

Application filed June 8,'l896. Serial No. 594,690. (No model.)

To a-Z whom it vita/y concern:

Be it known that I, SIDNEY H. SHORT, a citizen of the United States,residing at (leveland, in the county of Ouyahoga and State of Ohio, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Trolley-Supports for ElectricRailways, of which the following is a specification.

This inventionrelates to trolley-supports for electric railways.

The object of the invention is to provide a thoroughly efiicient andpractical trolley-support of simple and economical construction.

The invention consists, substantially, in the construction, combination,location, and relative arrangement of parts, all as will be more fullyhereinafter set forth, as shown in the accompanying drawings, andfinally specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings and to the various views and reference signsappearing thereon, Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a trolley andits support embodying the principles of my invention. Fig. 2 is asimilar view showing the trolley in the position occupied thereby whenin practical use. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view on the line 3 3,Fig. 1. Fig. 4: is an enlarged broken detail View, in sectional plan,illustrating the manner of attaching the springs to the sliding sleeve011 the trolley-pole. Fig. 5 is a broken detail view, in side elevation,of the construction shown in Fig. 4.

The same part is designated by the same reference-sign wherever itoccurs throughout the several views.

In the construction and operation of electrical railways wherein isemployed an overhead conductor and wherein current is supplied from suchconductor to the motor on the car through a contact device arranged tomake contact with the conductor upon the under side thereof it hasheretofore been the custom in commercial practice to mount theunderrunniug contact or trolley wheel upon an arm or plate, which inturn is pivotally mounted on horizontal and vertical axes or pivotsarranged transversely with respect to each other, whereby said arm orpole may rock or swing in intersecting planes, that is, said arm or polemay swing in avertical plane about said horizontal axis or pivot towardor away from the conductor and also may rock or swing laterally about orupon said vertical axis or pivot to reverse the direction of lead ofsuch arm or support or to compensate for variations in the position ofthe con ductor.

The present invention is designed upon entirely different principles.Instead of mounting the trolley pole or arm upon axes or pivots Ientirely dispense with all pivots or axes.

In the practical application of my invention I provide a bracket orcasting A, of suitable shape, size, and material, which may be supportedin any suitable or convenient position upon the car, say, for instance,upon the roof of the car in case of use in connection with an overheadconductor. In the particular form shown, to which, however, I do not desire to be limited or restricted, the bracket or casting A is of squareoutline. At each of the four corners. of the bracket or casting, in casethe bracket or casting is of square or rectangular shape, or at fourpoints spaced at suitable distances apart, I provide the posts B, toeachof which is secured one end of each of a pair of springs.

Reference sign 0 designates the trolley support or pole and may be ofthe usual or any desired or convenient size, shape, or material, andupon the upper or free end of which is mounted the trolleywheel D orother contact device adapted to make contact with the conductor E. Tothe extreme lower end of the trolley pole or support 0 or adjacent tosuch end I secure the other end of one member 6 7 8 9 of each pair ofsprings, as most clearly shown in Fig. 3. A convenient method ofattachment of the ends of springs 6 7 8 9 to the lower end of thetrolley pole or support O is shown wherein I provide a small cylindricalsleeve 10, having a flange with eyelets corresponding in number andarrangement to the springs (3 7 S 9, and the ends of said springs aresuitably secured in said eyelets. The sleeve 10 may be rigidly securedor mounted on the end of the trolley-pole in any suitable or convenientmanner. A similar sleeve ll, having eyelets similar in numher andarrangement to the eyelets in sleeve 10, is mounted loosely to slidefreely upon trolley pole or arm O, and to the eyelets in sleeves.

posed between sleeves 1O 11 I mount aspring 17, which tends to normallyoperate said The combined action of the several springs is to normallymaintain the pole O in a vertical position, as indicated in Fig. 1, buta deflection of said pole in any direction is permitted, whichdeflection will be against the action of thesprings. \Vhen the pole isin a vertical position, as shown in Fig. 1,the

entire weight of the pole and trolley-wheel is supported upon thesprings 6 7 8 9, said springs being deflected or inclined clownwardlyfrom the posts B under the influence of such weight.

hen the pole is deflected or bent over into angular position to beplaced upon the conductor, for instance, as shown in Fig. 2, suchmovement or deflection of the pole will impart a tension to the uppersprings 12 and 15 on one side and alsoto the lower springs '7 and 8' onthe other side, while the upper springs 3 and in and lower springs 6 9will be correspondingly relaxed. The tension of springs 12 15 beingexerted in the opposite direction to that of springs 7 and 8 thetendency is to cause sleeve or collar 11 to slide upon the trolley-poleO and toward sleeve 10,

- thereby eifecting a compression of spring 17.

The combined action of all these springs is to tend to return the pole Cto a verticallyupright position thereby securing a sufficient upwardpressure upon the trolley-wheel or contact end of the arm to pole toinsure a good electrical contact with the conductor. The same actionoccurs in case the pole or arm 0 is deflected or bent in any otherdirection.

It will be observed the greater the deflection of pole C from a verticalposition the greater will be the tension imparted to the upper springs12 15 and the lower springs '7 S in the illustration above given, and asthe tension on these springs increases the nearer will the slidingcollar or sleeve 11 approach the fixed collar orsleeve 10, and hence themore spring 17 will be compressed. This varying of the distance betweencollars or sleeves 1O 11 results in a corresponding variation in thefulcrum through which the springs act upon the pole C, and therefore byproperly adjusting the spring 17 to the strength of the other springs auniform pressure can be maintained throughout the entire range of thedeflection of the pole from a vertical to a horizontal position. This isa most important feature, and herein lies a most important differenceover trolley-poles which are mounted to vibrate on axes or pivotsagainst the action of springs. In such cases, as is evident, the greaterthe distance through which the trolley-pole is vibrated or swung aboutits pivot the greater will be the tension of the spring against whichsaid pole swings, and hence also the greater will be the pressureexerted upon the outer or contactend of such arm. It will also beobserved that trolley-supports constructed in accordance with myinvention do not swing upon any particular center, as the center changeswith the different positions to which the pole is swung in order toproduce an equilibrium between the nine springs employed.

I do not desire to be limited or restricted to the exact details ofconstruction shown and described, as many variations therefrom wouldreadily suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art and still fallwithin the spirit and scope of my invention; but,

Having now fully set forth the object and 7 nature of my invention and aform of apparatus embodying the same, and having explained theconstruction, function, and mode of operation thereof, what I claim asnew and useful and of my own invention, and desire to secure by LettersPatent of the United States, is a 1. In a trolley-support for electricrailways, V 5

a trolley-pole, a series of springs arrangedto support said pole, saidsprings connected at one end to a fixed support and at the other to saidpole, the pole connection of. certain of said springs being movable withrespect to the pole connection of others of said springs; as and for thepurpose set forth.

2. In a trolley-support,a trolley-pole, a series of springs connected atone end to said pole, and a second series of springs having slidingconnection with said pole; as and for the purpose set forth.

In a trolley-support, a base, a series of springs connected at one endto said base, a trolley-pole, certain of said springs being fixedlyconnected at their other ends to said pole, and the other of saidsprings having sliding connections with said pole adapted to movelengthwise thereof, whereby said pole is supported by said springs andis permitted universal movement; as and for the purpose set forth.

4:. In a trolley-support, a base, a series of springs connected at oneend'thereof to said base, a trolley-pole having a sliding collarthereon, certain of said springs connected at the other end thereofrigidly to said pole, and the other of said springs being connected tosaid collar; as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a trolley-support, a base, a series of 2 IIO ing connected attheopposite end thereof to said fixed sleeve, and a portion to said sleeve;as and for the purpose set forth.

7. In a trolley-support, a base, a trolleypole, and aloose sleevemounted on said pole, a series of springs connected at one end to saidbase, a portion of said springs connected at the opposite end thereof tosaid fixed sleeve and a portion to said loose sleeve, and a springinterposed between said sleeves; as and for the purpose set forth.

8. In a trolley-support, a base having posts rising therefrom atsuitably-spaced distances apart, a pair of springs connected at one endto each of said posts, a trolley-pole, one member of each of said pairof springs being fixedly connected to said pole and the other member ofeach of said pair of springs having a sliding connection with said pole;as and for the purpose set forth.

9. In a trolley-support, a base, a series of springs, a trolley-pole, afixed and a sliding sleeve mounted thereon, the members of said pairs ofsprings being connected at one end to said base and at the other end tosaid fixed and sliding sleeves respectively; as and for the purpose setforth.

10. In a trolley-support, a base, a series of pairs of springs, atrolley-pole, a fixed and a sliding sleeve mounted thereon, the membersof each pair of springs being connected at one end to said base, and atthe other end to said fixed and sliding sleeve respectively, and aspring interposed between said sleeves; as and for the purpose setforth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 3d day of June,1896.

SIDNEY H. SHORT. IVitn esses:

A. J. PURCELL, E. T. SARGENT.

